SHINE of Destruction
by Endigo Master
Summary: Part III in the Endigo Chronicles. Endigo, Shadow, and Knuckles have returned from the Gerald infested world, but they've brought back the mad doctor's greatest creation. Can anybody stop the destructive power of Shine? Read and review.
1. First Victim

SHINE of Destruction  
  
Chp 01: First Victim  
  
Mystic Ruins  
  
Metal Sonic ran towards the Team Techno base. He was on his morning run of the area, looking for any Eggman robots. He suddenly stopped as a large wormhole appeared in front of him. The robot prepared to face whatever came out. What did, was silver hedgehog.   
  
"Where am I?" Shine asked the robot before him. He had been uploaded with many maps of the world in his dimension, but this area was unfamiliar to him. MS, unfortunately, scanned the hedgehog and realized he was designed by a Robotnik. The blue bot charged at Shine and tried to slash him, but his claws were caught in his enemy's locks. "You should not have done that."  
  
Shine reached up and grabbed the robot's left arm, ripping it off. As the oil began to spurt from MS' wound, he jumped back, trying to balance himself. Before he could land, however, his opponent was below him. Shine caught MS by the right leg and slammed him into the ground.   
  
The hero rose to his feet and realized that he was going to be destroyed if he didn't use his trump card. He pulled the green Chaos Emerald from behind his back and activated its power. His spikes began to grow as his body began to change. His severed limb returned to the socket where it had started and transform as well. When all was said and done, he was in his Metal Overlord form.  
  
"Do you really think that will help?" Shine disappeared and was behind MO. He punched the robot in the back, causing him to split in two. The hedgehog picked up the emerald and was gone in a flash.  
  
Later…  
  
Shadow, Endigo, and Knuckles reached the battle site and stopped at the remains of MS.  
  
"Could this be Shine's work?" the echidna asked.  
  
"Probably." the fox responded. "I wish we knew more about this guy, but Gerald never created him in this dimension. If he had, we probably wouldn't be here right now."  
  
"Whatever the case, we should get Metal to Tails and inform the others about our new friend." Shadow picked up the two halves of the robot and they continued to Tails' workshop.  
  
Next: Shine in Station Square 


	2. Shine in Station Square

Chp 02: Shine in Station Square  
  
Station Square  
  
The silver hedgehog reappeared inside of the SS Hotel. The patrons looked in shock at the creature that had suddenly appeared from nowhere. One of the people happened to be Amy, who had come looking for her love, Sonic. She felt an uneasy presence around this figure, so she decided to leave. As she was about to leave she heard a scream of terror.  
  
She turned to see Shine's hand thrust through the back of one of the guests. Clenched in his fist was a Chaos Emerald. She reached for her hammer and charged the murderer. Before she could reach him, he had disappeared once again.  
  
Amy ran outside and tried to see where Shine had gone. The pink hedgehog heard an explosion above and saw the killer powering up the emerald. He positioned the emerald in front of the sun and shouted, "CHAOS ECLIPSE!!!" Amy ran at full speed as a large laser fired towards the center of the city. When it collided with the ground, a large blast spread across Station Square. Amy used her hammer to launch herself into the sea. In a few seconds, large waves sent the hedgehog flying. A piece of debris knocked her out, causing her to faint.  
  
As she began to sink, a hook caught onto her dress and she was reeled in. Big dragged the girl in and jumped into the storeroom on his ship. Meanwhile, Shine was busy finishing his work. As the last building fell to the ground, the laser stopped. The silver warrior descended to the rubble that had once been Station Square and scanned for any life forms. Fortunately, he wasn't able to see the small ship that housed the only survivors. After he was done, he vanished.  
  
Tails' Workshop  
  
The trio had just finished informing their friends about what had happened in the alternate universe. The ones at the workshop were Sonic, Tails, Cream, Rouge, The Chaotix, Omega, and Gamma. The fox had finished repairing MS as the others arrived. By now, they all were shocked at what they had heard.  
  
"So let me get this straight." Sonic began. "The three of you were sucked into an alternate reality, where all of us were pure evil, Gerald ruled all, and you accidentally freed a psychotic, silver hedgehog?"  
  
"That's about the size of it." Knuckles answered. Tails, who had been busy at work on his computer, gasped, stopping. "What's wrong, Tails."  
  
"Station Square. It was just destroyed by an explosion, which was caused by a silver hedgehog. About three million people were said to be killed."  
  
"Oh no!" Cream shouted. "That's where Amy is." the group tensed up. Sonic lost all feeling in his body. He had known Amy for years. He couldn't believe she was dead.  
  
They would have began to mourn, but they heard a voice outside that sent shivers down their spines. "Targets detected. Initiate battle mode." The Shadow, Endigo, Knuckles, and Sonic exited as the first wave and found Shine. The fight began.  
  
Station Square Coastline  
  
Amy awoke to see Big's smiling face. She sat up, remembering what had happened earlier that day. Suddenly, there was someone knocking on the door. The cat walked over, glad to try and help any survivors. When he opened the door, Amy gasped. The person at the door was Lock the Armadillo.  
  
Next: Bloodshed 


	3. Bloodshed

Chp 03: Bloodshed  
  
Tails' Workshop  
  
"Hello, prototypes." Shine said to his fellow projects. The four warriors were prepared to try to fight the creature. Suddenly, Sonic snapped. He tried to rush the hedgehog, but it was a futile attempt. The silver warrior wrapped his left hand around the blue hedgehog's throat.  
  
"What do we do know?" Knuckles asked, holding his ground.  
  
"Nothing." Endigo answered. "If we move, Shine might kill him immediately." the trio then saw a flash of orange fly by them, aimed right at Sonic. The silver fighter began to punch through his captive, but Sonic was replaced with Tails just before impact. As the blue hero was falling, he heard the fist collide with the kitsune, sending him flying through his own workshop. The fox finally stopped, after crashing halfway through the mountainside.  
  
"Tails!!!" Sonic shouted, struggling to his feet. The blue hedgehog ran over to his friend and began to dig him out. Once the fox was free, Sonic observed him. He was covered in deep gashes all over his body, his orange fur darkened by blood. "Are you okay, buddy?"  
  
"I'll be fine. Just defeat Shine." with that, the kitsune passed out, barely breathing. Tears began to stream down the hedgehog's face. Meanwhile, Shadow and Shine had entered a standoff. The black warrior began to power up the Chaos Emerald he had gotten from Endigo.  
  
"Chaos Spear!" the beams of light shot through the silver creature's body. As he fell, the hole's began to regenerate.   
  
Before he hit the ground, he back flipped to his feet and yelled, "Chaos Eclipse! Focus!" a laser similar to the one in Station Square, only smaller, shot towards the hedgehog. Before he could react, he was engulfed in the blast. In a few seconds, once he realized he wasn't being hurt, he opened his eyes to see Endigo powering a Chaos Shield. Shadow used his emerald to help hold up the barrier. Knuckles remained where he stood, not wanting to break his friends concentration.  
  
Big's Boat  
  
"Of all the people that could have survived, why those three?" Amy said to Big as the others in the ship ate. The trio was made of Lock, Nack, and Eggman. They had been planning to attack the great city themselves, but the silver hedgehog beat them to it.  
  
"What do you have against us anyway?" Lock asked.  
  
"What do you expect me to do, worship you? All you have ever tried to do is take over the world."  
  
"I resent that remark." the armadillo replied. "I tried to blow it up."  
  
"Whatever. All I know is that you're all pure evil. If it wasn't for Big letting you stay, all three of you would be in the sea." the hedgehog turned to the purple cat. "Where are we headed, buddy."  
  
"I figured we should go and see if Tails and the others are alright. So we're going to the Mystic Ruins." the ship continued along, with the five survivors of the first assault along for the ride.  
  
Tails' Workshop  
  
The second wave consisted of Espio, Omega, Gamma, MS and Vector, Rouge staying behind to protect Cream and Charmy. Espio knew that he had to stop the Chaos Eclipse if he wanted to save his friends. He pulled out a shuriken and aimed it at the Chaos Emerald. As the emerald fell from Shine's hand, the blast stopped.   
  
Shine turned to his attackers and grabbed the emerald from the place where it had landed. "Chaos Spear!!!" the beams ripped through the heroes, causing their bodies to fall, bleeding badly. The robots just blew up. Shine then addressed his original targets. "You got lucky this time, prototypes. But when we meet again, I will finish you off, once and for all." with that, the silver hedgehog disappeared, leaving behind a group of defeated heroes.  
  
Next: Target 2: New Prison Island 


	4. Target 2: New Prison Island

Chp 04: Target 2: New Prison Island  
  
New Prison Island  
  
It had been a slow day for the guards of New Prison Island. In fact, since the escape of Endigo, nothing big had happened. The prisoners had been quiet. Unknown to the guards, the captives had been planning an uprising for months, working out every detail. All except one.  
  
All had gone well at this point. Outside, a fight had started between the criminals and the police. Meanwhile, a pair of purple furred echidnas, Sid and Ricky, had broken into the weapons room and gather a bunch of stun guns and mace. They were about to leave with the weaponry, when a blue flash filled the room. Once it was gone, the echidnas saw a silver hedgehog.  
  
"Who the hell are you?!" Sid shouted in fear.   
  
Shine turned to the duo and spoke. "Where would a get the best shot of the island?" thinking he had escaped from the psychiatric ward, Ricky tried to fire a blast at the hedgehog, but it was a grave mistake. The warrior punched the echidna in the jaw, breaking it on impact. He was thrown into his friend, who was sent with him right through the wall.  
  
Shine stepped into the hall and found himself surrounded by fighting. He knew that there was only one way to get them to listen to him. He took out the Chaos Emerald and yelled, "Chaos Spear!" the beams of light filled the room, striking down those unlucky enough to be caught in their path. Those who remained began to run to the exits, their faces twisted in fear.  
  
The hedgehog kicked into the air, crashing through the roof. As he found himself at a sufficient height, he shouted, "Chaos Eclipse!!!" the emerald let loose a large explosion of energy, engulfing the whole island. The warrior laughed as his target began to disintegrate. "That stalled enough time. I hope they're ready for me." Shine then Chaos Controlled away.  
  
Mystic Ruins Hospital  
  
The doors burst open and the group filled the waiting room. The doctors, who had also been having a slow day, rushed over to the injured. There was a total of four. Tails, who was barely breathing after saving Sonic, the aforementioned hedgehog, who had found that his neck had been injured pretty badly after all, and Vector and Espio, who had been badly damaged by the Chaos Spear attack. Shadow, Endigo, and Knuckles had brought the wounded, the others staying behind.  
  
As they were being wheeled away, Tails lifted his head up and yelled something to the heroes. "You guys, I found something out about Shine. He was invented in this dimension. He was the power source for…" the fox was then taken around the corner. Shadow tried to chase after him, but the hedgehog was blocked off. He decided to wait, not wanting to cause any trouble. He knew he was in for a long wait.  
  
Next: Love at Sea  
  
Note to funk: Everything I've said before will eventually happen, even if it's not immediately. 


	5. Love at Sea

Chp 05: Love at Sea  
  
Big's Boat  
  
It had been twelve hours since the explosion that destroyed Station Square. The three unwanted guest had appeared right afterwards, and since then, they had eaten all the food. In return, they were forced to fish. Lock was currently outside and had already caught three sea bass.  
  
Soon, Amy came out to relieve him of his duties. She was about to talk when the ship was thrown up by a large wave, sending her over the edge. The armadillo reacted fast, tying the nearby safety line around his waist as he lunged over the side of the boat.  
  
Using the visor on his helmet, he was able to see all around him. When he saw the hedgehog flailing around, Lock lunged at her. He grabbed her wrist and began to swim back to the ship. Big, who had come up to the deck, threw the lifesaver to them.  
  
Once they were out of the water, Lock realized that Amy wasn't breathing, so he began CPR. As the armadillo's lips touched her's, he felt something for just a second, before continuing. He began trying to shove the water from her lungs. "One, two, three, four, five, six…" on seven, the hedgehog shot up, finding her air, but also head butting her savior.  
  
"Are you okay?" the cat asked.  
  
"I'll be fine." Amy looked at Lock, who was unconscious. "What happened to him?"  
  
"He dove in after you and gave you CPR when you weren't breathing."  
  
"He risked his life to save me?" Amy felt herself blushing. She turned away and said, "I'll be in the sleeping quarters."  
  
When she arrived, the hedgehog tried to remember what had happen. The thought of Lock made her shiver. She couldn't believe it. She had always had feelings for Sonic and him alone. Could she be falling in love with Lock the armadillo?  
  
Mystic Ruins Hospital  
  
The red operation light above the emergency room entrance finally turned off. "You may see your friends now." Shadow, Endigo, and Knuckles shot through the doors and found that most of their friends were still asleep. Fortunately, Tails was awake.  
  
"Hey, guys." Shadow was about to ask what the fox had found out about Shine, when the kitsune cut him off. "The Eclipse Cannon."  
  
"What?" Endigo replied.  
  
Shine was the life force that powered the Eclipse Cannon, but in our dimension, Gerald was never able to complete work on a body to contain him. He was still a sentient being, though. In his world, he must have fully fused with the emeralds' power. They must have recharged before you stole them."  
  
Suddenly, the heroes heard a scream from the waiting room. The trio ran from the resting area and gasped at who they found. It was the other Endigo.  
  
Next: Rift 


	6. Rift

Chp 06: Rift  
  
Mystic Ruins Hospital  
  
The fox before the heroes wasn't the one they had seen Shine slaughter. Both of his legs and left arms were now fully robotic, circuits visible. A large Siphon Crystal was infused into his back, along with seven holes. There were other, minor changes, but his greatest changes were his eyes. They were empty of emotion, giving a psychotic gaze.  
  
"How did you get here?" the normal Endigo asked, shocked by what he was seeing.  
  
"How? The question isn't how, it's how…"  
  
"…many." the trio turned to see another alternate Endigo. They began to talk in unison. 'It took three years, but I was finally able to find away to shift dimensions. Without Shadow and four Chaos Emeralds, it was difficult, but by entering hibernation I was able to use the full power of the ARK. I activated the Biolizard and fused myself with its robotic body, creating multiple…"  
  
"…versions." a third Endigo chimed in. "Once I was satisfied with the numbers, I fused my mind to the Cannon's Core and used its power to Create another rift, but this time, it didn't close." this comment caused the warriors to run outside. They looked up and gasped. A swirling vortex consumed the skies above the Mystic Ruins. At the center of it all was the ARK.  
  
"Do you see my true power now." a fourth Endigo started. "Unfortunately, I ran into a few annoyances on my way here." three more foxes appeared, dropping a bat's wing, a bee's antenna, and the lifeless body of Cheese. "Here are some souvenirs."  
  
This sent Knuckles of the edge. He rushed the nearest fox, but within two seconds, the eighth Endigo appeared, slashing deep into the echidna's skull, sending him spiraling, blood gushing from his new wound.  
  
"So you're the power I felt earlier." Shine stepped out of the shadows, a smile on his face. "I just evolved into my more human like state of mind, ya know, and I was hoping I could get a challenging fight, but I guess I'll settle for you." enraged, all eight Endigos charged Shine.  
  
As their battle began, Shadow and Endigo checked Knux. "You going to be alright, buddy?"  
  
"Mechanical bird." puzzled, the two looked back and were scooped up into a pair of large talons.  
  
"Long time, no see, guys!" the trio found that the pilots were Lecko and Mighty. Not giving the heroes a chance to say anything, the ship suddenly rocketed forward and away from the epic battle  
  
Next: Plauge 


	7. Plague

Chp 07: Plague  
  
Mystic Jungle  
  
The bird ship landed deep within the forest, dropping those in its talons. Mighty helped Knuckles down, having just bandaged his head. Lecko jumped down and joined his friends. "I never thought we'd see you three again. How long have you been back home anyway?"  
  
"About twelve hours." Knuckles snapped. "And within that period, Shine has destroyed both Station Square and New Prison Island, incapacitated everybody, except us, and the alternate Endigo reappeared, in numbers! What happened in your world?!"  
  
"Chill out, Knux." Mighty replied calmly. "I'll tell you what happened. While you three where fighting your counterparts, Lecko and I snooped around the colony. We came upon three hibernation pods, two empty, one containing Maria. When we opened it, however, we found that it was an illusion. The one who was really inside was Shine."  
  
"You freed him?!"  
  
"Don't freak out. We had no clue that it was Shine. He knocked us out immediately, and when we woke up, we were back on Earth. Things were okay for a while, especially after we found Lecko parents, but soon, it began. The ARK repositioned itself, and it began to let loose some kind of gas. Wherever it ended up, people got sick and died. It came to be know as the ARK plague. 90% of the population died off. Then, Endigo launched the ARK straight at the planet, activating all of the emeralds across the globe. Our world was sent into a null space, which is on the other side of that vortex. Once it's large enough, the other Endigo plans to launch it into your Earth, destroying them both. And as it happens, he'll use the emeralds to warp to another universe and repeat the process until they are all gone."  
  
"So where does Shine come into all of this?" Endigo asked.  
  
"We sent multiple units to the space colony, but they never returned." Lecko answered. "All that we ever got were transmissions of Endigo talking to himself. He was always talking about how he would get revenge on Shine for what he did to him."  
  
"So what are we supposed to do?"  
  
"Use this." the chameleon pulled out a small, robotic bug. "Big invented this to kill both the ARK and all of the other Endigos."  
  
"What about Shine?"  
  
"Sorry, but we'll only be able to help you with the fox."  
  
"That's alright." Shadow spoke. "If we're lucky, those robot Endigos will kill him. But if they don't, we can use the Chaos Emeralds to enter super mode."  
  
"Looks like you'll have to use your super modes." the heroes turned their view to the trees above and found Shine sitting on one of the branches, wearing Knuckles' old hat. They prepared for him to attack, but he jumped down with a peace sign on each hand. "I'm here to make a deal."  
  
"Why?" Endigo questioned.  
  
"Well, I was able to destroy all of those fox bots, but more and more kept coming. I decided to follow you five, and I think we can work together to destroy that rift."  
  
"But aren't you trying to destroy us already?"  
  
"If his plan works, I'll die, too." the hedgehog jumped over to the bird ship and yelled, "So let's get going!" the heroes entered the plane.  
  
As it took off, Shadow thought to himself, 'I can't believe I'm working with this monster, but if we get him to the ARK, maybe we can trap him again.  
  
After a few hours, the plane was at the point where it could head for the ARK, when they caught sight of a small ship. Knuckles was able to see Amy and Big and shouted, "Land the bird near that boat!" as the plane went down, they had no clue of the battle that would begin.  
  
Next: Personality Clash 


	8. Personality Clash

Chp 08: Personality Clash  
  
Big's Ship  
  
As the plane landed next to the boat, the five people who had been at sea gathered on the deck. Amy was happy that someone had finally come for them. Unfortunately, the first to exit the bird was Shine. When he saw Amy, he exclaimed, "Hey, I know you! You're that girl from the hotel I blew up!"  
  
Amy blew a fuse. She grabbed her hammer and charged at the hedgehog. As she was about to make contact, Endigo appeared between them and stopped the Piko Piko. "Just like old times, huh, Amy?"  
  
"Why are you protecting him?!" she shouted. "Don't you know what he's done?!"  
  
"Yes, I do, but we've been forced to make a truce with him."  
  
"Hello there, Miss Rose." Lecko said, sliding down from the cockpit. "The name's Lecko Millon, warrior from another universe. It's a pleasure to meet you."  
  
Amy was about to respond, when Lock suddenly began to fire at the last one to leave the plane. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was just like in his dreams. He was being haunted by his past self. "Leave me alone!"  
  
Mighty jumped up just as the bullets flew past. He saw his attacker and launched toward him. Lock tried to shoot at him, but he was too slow to stop the armadillo. Mighty pinned his other self to the ground. "What the hell is your prob…" he stopped once he figured out who it was. He got to his feet and began to stumble back.  
  
Lock took this chance to lunge at the shocked hero. He began to choke him, pushing him hard into the ground.  
  
"Chaos Spear!" as the bolts began to rush at Lock, he lunged back. "You really are that stupid, aren't you? That isn't your past self, it's you from another dimension!"  
  
"Shut up!!!" Lock fired a round at Shadow causing him to put up a Chaos Shield. By this point, Mighty had gotten over his original shock and kicked his counterpart into the sea. The armadillo jumped in after him.  
  
Lock tried to kick his opponent, but Mighty grabbed his foot and spun him around. Lock found his center and went up for air. When he reached the surface, he saw his other self coughing up water. The bomber swam under him and head butted him in the chin. Lock started to punch Mighty in the face rapidly, blood flying everywhere. The hero was soon able to duck under the water, ramming his knee into Lock's chest, which became a target when the armadillo's fist sent him flying.  
  
The battle was stopped as both of the armadillos were lifted into the air by two of Big's fishing hooks. They flailed around for awhile, until Nack fired off a warning shot. Endigo then yelled, "Do you think you idiots can finish this later?! If we don't go to the ARK, your battlefield will be destroyed! So shake hands and call a truce!"  
  
After calling a reluctant agreement, the counterparts were dropped from the lines and told what had been conspiring while they were at sea. After a few hours, they were prepared to launch.  
  
When the ship was in the area circling the ARK, Lecko saw that Big was fishing through the air hole. "Why are you trying to fish in the upper layer of the planet's atmosphere?"  
  
"You never know when you'll get a good fish."  
  
"Right." the reptile turned to Endigo and whispered, "Are you sure that he is the doctor's counterpart?"  
  
"I know that they're different, but look at Lock and Mighty, or my counterpart and me."  
  
"I guess."  
  
Mighty soon found a place to land the bird. Once they were out of the ship, they broke up into teams of three and four. Team one consisted of Knuckles, Shine, Lecko and Mighty, team two of Endigo, Big, Lock, and Nack, and team three of Shadow, Amy, and Eggman. Each group was to search one of the three places the alternate Endigo would be: the Cannon's Core, the Research Labs, and the Hibernation Room. Shadow, Shine, Endigo, Knuckles, and Lecko each had one Chaos Emerald, while Eggman used two to power up his Egg Walker mkIII. Once all preparations were made, they set out.  
  
Cannon's Core  
  
"I'm surprised how little resistance we had trying to get here." Knuckles commented.  
  
"Hey, genius," Shine began from up the path. "I think that's why." the three in back ran down the hall and looked into the final chamber, where the Biolizard slept.  
  
"What are we supposed to do now?" Lecko thought out loud.  
  
"Shine, you distract the Biolizard while the rest of us search the area."  
  
"You got it, master." the hedgehog replied sarcastically. Shine launched himself at the creature and ripped out the rail on the left side of his mouth. As the beast howled in pain, the other three ran past it. The hedgehog jumped back as the egg bubbles appeared around the Biolizard. "Is that supposed to stop me." he pulled out the Chaos Emerald and yelled, "Chaos Eclipse!!!"  
  
The beam caused the stabilizer on his back to explode, leaving the flesh under exposed to the blast. When it was over, a large hole had been left in the center of the now lifeless Biolizard. Knuckles, still stunned, told Shine that Endigo wasn't present. The quartet then returned to the docking bay.  
  
Docking Bay  
  
All three teams returned without finding robo Endigo. They were prepared to search the rest of the ship, when from the darkness, eleven fake Endigo stepped from the shadows. They began to talk in unison. "If you think it's fun to trespass in my home, do you? Then you can do it for the rest of your lives, deep within my mind. Chaos Control M!!!" in a flash, they were all gone, transported to the inner workings of the alternate Endigo's mind.  
  
Next: Trapped 


	9. Trapped

Chp 09: Trapped  
  
???  
  
Knuckles reappeared in the middle of an open field, filled with flowers of all types. He found that the only other person with him was Nack the Weasel. "Oh great, of all the people to be stuck with, it's my mortal enemy."  
  
"Don't start with me, you stinking echidna!"  
  
"Do NOT tell me what to d…" he was cut of by a sudden flash of light, in which a yellow Endigo appeared. The duo was prepared to fight the fox, but he just smiled.  
  
"Did you come to play with me?" the pair stood puzzled.  
  
"What is his problem?" Nack asked, not lowering his gun.  
  
"Well, some people believe that a person's mind is split between each of their emotions, taking over when the person feels that way. Last time I was Chaos Controlled into Endigo's mind, it was being controlled by Gerald. Here, since it isn't, we're experiencing one of the emotion's realm. The color yellow must represent happiness."  
  
"Looks like we got of easy. But I wonder what happened to the othe…"the ground under the duo suddenly collapsed suddenly.  
  
???  
  
"RUN, RUN, RUN!!!" Lock shouted as the red Endigo of battle chased after them.  
  
Lecko suddenly turned on his heels and began his chant. "Siphon Crystal, strong and true. Chaos Emerald Energy, I give to you!" the beam shot from the hilt as the lizard slashed the red fox in half. "I have wanted to do that for so long."  
  
"Nice moves, kiddo!" Lock laughed. As Lecko landed, he turned and held the blade inches from the armadillo's face.  
  
"Don't compliment me, you dirty crook."  
  
"Jeez, try and congratulate someone and you get a death threat. Fine, I'll insult you." the pair took a moment to see where they were. The area was a wasteland, the sky blood red. Corpses and skeletons were all over the place.  
  
The duo was about to continue trying to escape, when they heard a strange stretching sound. They turned to the sound and found that the Endigo was pulling itself together. Lecko charged at him and continuously slashed the fox. Unfortunately, he regenerated in a few seconds.  
  
"Got a plan B, lizard boy?"  
  
"You hit the nail on the head earlier. RUN!!!" as they sprinted away, they disappeared into the ground.  
  
Mystic Ruins Hospital  
  
Charmy burst into the waiting room with his last bit of energy, dropping the weak body of Rouge. The young bee hadn't been able to get Cream to come with him. He feared that she had gone into shock after Cheese was killed by that freaky looking Endigo clone. Tails and Sonic, who had been allowed to get up and about, began to help them as the doctors approached.  
  
As Charmy and Rouge were taken away, Sonic warned them, "There are two guys who have deep feelings for that bat, so you better save her, and Charmy too."  
  
"I hope they make it." Tails said sadly.  
  
ARK  
  
As the original Endigo entered the room, the clones disappeared. Seeing that the intruders had been sealed into his mind, he let out a long laugh. Suddenly, the transmission screen lit up. The robotic fox turned it on and bowed before his master.  
  
"Get up, you worthless robot. I just called to make sure you have made the preparations for Operation: Duplicates."  
  
"I have. When you give the word, I will multiply the ARK four times. Then, I shall use the power of four Eclipse Cannons and all of the Mini Emeralds we have gathered to destroy the Earth and soon, every, single reality!"  
  
"Wait a minute. I do not sense the power of Shine anywhere on the ship. Where is he?"  
  
"He has been sealed within my mind"  
  
"WHAT!!! You get him out right now and power up the Eclipse Cannon! Then carry out the rest of our plan! Otherwise, I will come there personally!" the screen went blank.  
  
The scared Endigo pulled out one of the Mini Emeralds and called forth one of his clones. Focused on his destination, he shouted, "Chaos Control M!!!" he disappeared, leaving behind the clone.  
  
???  
  
"Am I the only one who finds this guy funny?" Shine commented of the gray furred Endigo, which represented the fox's fear.  
  
"Please, l-leave me al-one." the scared fox quivered. Shine once more burst out laughing, while Shadow tried to stop smiling.  
  
Endigo just scowled at the wimpy version of himself. "In no way, is this funny. This is just pathetic."  
  
As Shine laughed his head off, he accidentally tripped into a large hole that had been covered up. Without hesitation, the others dove in after him.  
  
Robo Endigo's Core  
  
The trio reappeared in a place that was all too familiar to Shadow and Endigo. It was the place where they had fought to free the fox's mind from Gerald's control. They found that the others had all ended up in the core as well.  
  
"Hello, all" the menacing fox's voice rang out across the room as he appeared. "I am here for one thing only and that is Project: Shine. If you give him to me peacefully, I will set you free you and send you back to Earth."  
  
"And if we don't?"  
  
"Then they will kill you." hundreds of Endigo clones appeared, surrounding the warriors.  
  
Endigo kicked off into the air and charged at his counterpart. "Bring it on!" the clones charged at the heroes, while the two Endigo's began to battle. Shadow, Shine, and Knuckles had an easier time destroying the robots, but the others were being overtaken quickly. Endigo, due to the fact that his counterpart had the robot weaponry, was quickly beaten back. Soon, it became evident that the battle was one sided.  
  
The robo Endigo began to choke his opponent. As the good fox heard his friends crying out in pain, he snapped. The seven emeralds began to glow and Endigo began to change.  
  
Next: True Power 


	10. True Power

Chp 10: True Power  
  
Robo Endigo's Core  
  
The fox's fur turned to a dark purple, the tips of his tails changing to sharp, black daggers. The white fur on his mouth and chest began to wrap around him as it hardened into a dark armor, the same happening with his gloves and shoes, crawling up his arms and legs. His pupils disappeared into the darkness that now possessed his eyes. His tails soon doubled in length and amount.   
  
He suddenly let loose a scream of anger, sending a shockwave across the area, destroying all of the clones. Shadow and Shine used the remaining emerald energy to protect the weaker heroes. Shine whispered to himself, "So this is the true power of Endigo."  
  
S. Endigo turned to his counterpart and thrust all four of his tails through the fox. R. Endigo found himself pinned to the ground, but before he could let out a yelp, the super powered warrior punched his teeth in. Before he was hurt anymore, the robo fox exited his mind.  
  
ARK  
  
Endigo reappeared in the same place where he had started and suddenly fell to his knees, his hands grasping his head, shouting, "GET OUT!!!" he felt the pain all through his body, blood beginning to come out of his mouth. His robotic parts began to explode, the core on his back malfunctioning. "This can't be happening!!! The master said I was invincible!!!"  
  
As Endigo died, the heroes were freed from his mind. S. Endigo, no longer faced with an opponent, turned to his former enemy. Shine jumped into the air as the fox let loose a massive blast of energy. Shadow, who was exhausted from maintaining the shield earlier, was unable to protect his friends as they were thrown back by the explosion. Shine quickly blocked the resulting opening with the metal lining the walls.  
  
"Endigo!" Knuckles shouted, trying to get his friend's attention. "What is your problem?!"  
  
"Shine told us that he was our ally until Robo Endigo was killed. Since he is now dead, I will destroy Shine." the fox was a totally different person now, the power of the Chaos Emeralds controlling him. "But since you wish to protect him…" Super Endigo charged at the echidna, punched him in the chest, cracking his ribs, and jumped back before anyone realized what he had done.  
  
Shine turned to the heroes and spoke. "Get Knuckles, go to the escape ship, and return to Earth. I'll hold him off." before anyone could protest, he yelled, "Do it! If you're around when we start the battle starts, you guys will all get killed."  
  
"Why do you care?" Shadow questioned.  
  
The hedgehog smirked. "If I see you all again, maybe I'll tell you why. Now go!"  
  
Big picked up the echidna and the team ran to the escape pods. There were three pods, the first had Shadow, Knuckles, and Big, the second had Lock, Amy, and Lecko, and the third had Eggman, Nack, and Lecko. The pods were launched just as the ARK began to explode. From space, they saw the ARK blow up. Everyone, even the villains, thought about one think: Endigo.  
  
Next: Part IV: Tickled Pink 


End file.
